Erdogan: Turkey will not limit itself to an operation in the city of Afrin

Turkish military operation Olive Branch in Syrian Kurdistan will not be limited to the city of Afrin, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 24th of January in his speech for governmental officials in the capital city of Ankara, RIA Novosti reports.

Turkey has broken its regional enemies’ plans by starting this operation, according to the Turkish president. The military operation of the Turkish army and its allies in the local Turk population will broaden. The Turkish leadership plans to clear not only the city of Afrin from Kurdish population but also all the neighbouring area, starting from Manbij.

“We will fully clear the region from terrorists, we will provide for our security”, – Erdogan says.

The Turkish president also voiced his version of Turkish armed forces’ and opponent’s casualties. According to the president, 7 or 8 servicemen were killed during the operation, while the enemy’s fatal casualties reached 268. Kurdish version of casualties at the same time states that Turkey and its allies lost more than 200 people.

Turkey started the Olive Branch operation on the 20th of January.

The military operation’s goal is the elimination of Kurdish units in the city of Afrin, which are considered terrorists by the Turkish side. Turkey’s allies in this operation are local Turks, who are members of the Free Syrian Army fighting against the official Assad’s Syrian government.